00:00Kia designed a Skoda and this is it. The Kia, I mean. It's called the K4 and this is its
00:07sports wagon variant. Is there still a reason to even consider an Octavia? Let's find out.
00:16Originally I was planning to tell you that Kia has a certain issue which would make me choose
00:20just about any other car, but I had a viewer reach out and explain something to me that changed my
00:27mind. I'll tell you what it was in a moment, but first let's see what we're dealing with here.
00:32In Europe the K4 is available as a hatchback and as an estate. However, since underneath the K4 is the
00:39current generation Hyundai Elantra, in some markets there is also the K4 sedan. A few months ago I
00:45reviewed the electric Kia EV4 and back then I thought it was very similar to the K4. However,
00:50now seeing the K4 with my own eyes, it's clear to me that it's a completely different vehicle.
00:57The K4 hatchback replaces the Seed and the K4 sports wagon replaces the Seed Estate as well
01:04as the second generation Pro Seed. K4 is much bigger than the models it replaces. In case of the wagon,
01:10we're talking about almost 470 centimeters in length, 185 centimeters in width and a wheelbase of 272
01:18centimeters. That's nine and a half, five and seven centimeters respectively more than in the Seed Estate.
01:24Pro Seed was half a centimeter longer than the Seed Estate, but it was also lower. Instead of 146 and
01:31a
01:31half centimeters, it was only 142 centimeters high. The K4 sports wagon is 143 and a half centimeters tall.
01:39Since the K4 is quite low, the front seems even wider, flattened. The daytime running light
01:46signature emphasizes the width with the horizontal line stretching far to the sides and then the
01:52vertical line framing the front. From the side, we can see the long rear doors which suggest a lot of
02:00space in the back. But before we get in the back seat, let's talk about the rear of the car.
02:05Again,
02:06it is wide. The designers were very subtle when extending the hatchback into the estate. The main
02:12difference is a larger window between the C and D pillars and resulting larger rear quarter panel.
02:19And now we take a look inside the boot, which Kia claims has 604 liters capacity in five seat
02:26configuration. And I assure you what you're seeing here isn't even 500 liters. My measurements show that
02:33the boot is 105 centimeters deep by the floor and 105 centimeters wide at the wheel arches. And there's
02:4140 centimeters from the floor to the cargo cover. That's about 440 liters. We can add another 10 liters
02:46for the recess here on the left side behind the sill, but there's still over 150 liters missing. Where are
02:52they? Probably in the underfloor storage compartments, which can be very practical. But on the other hand,
02:59they cannot be combined to, say, drop the floor for maybe 10 centimeters and 100-150 more liters.
03:08The first storage compartment is just behind the sill. You can store the cargo cover in there,
03:13among other things. The next compartment is in the middle and it consists of three separate containers.
03:20It's a convenient place to put some small shopping so it doesn't scatter all over the boot. The final
03:25compartment is just behind the rear seats. It likely houses the net that separates the cargo area from
03:31the passenger compartment. The net isn't included in this test car, but it looks like this is the place
03:37to store it. Besides that, there are two shopping bag hooks, a 12-volt outlet, and that's about it.
03:44The Octavia may not have as deep a boot, but it is taller. The capacity in liters doesn't tell
03:51us if and how useful the boot is to us. Therefore, before buying a car, it's always useful doing some
03:58homework. Take whatever special items you sometimes need to carry in a car and see if they fit.
04:05With the second row backrest folded, the capacity increases to 1439 liters and the length of the
04:12luggage space up to the passenger seat moved as far forward as possible is approximately 210 centimeters.
04:20But even with the passenger seat all the way back, I can still fit behind it. And behind the passenger
04:29seat, set to my driving position, I'm 175 centimeters tall, I have plenty of leg room. It feels like a
04:35Skoda back
04:36here. The extra 7 centimeters in the wheelbase didn't go to waste. There are also cup holders in the rear
04:44armrest,
04:44an air conditioning vent, USB-C ports, door pockets, which accommodate my water bottle, and Isofix anchor points
04:52on the side seats. Unfortunately, Kia still hasn't seen fit to add Isofix to the front passenger seat.
05:00The backrest angle isn't adjustable. I'd say the seats are reclined too far, which makes me feel like I
05:07have a lot of headroom, despite the relatively low roofline. The rear seat splits 40-60. However,
05:15there is a ski hatch behind the armrest. Dominating the K-Force cockpit is a wide screen you might have
05:23seen in new Kia models. It's divided into three zones. There's the digital instrument cluster before the
05:29driver, the infotainment screen, and then there's this small AC control panel. Fortunately, basic
05:35climate controls are here in the form of physical buttons under the central display. Below are USB
05:42ports and a 12-volt outlet and a wireless charger, which sometimes works. It's a Kia thing. Next is an
05:49old-school gear shifter. The K4 is still available with a manual transmission. Then there are cup holders,
05:57deep storage compartment under the armrest, average size glove box. The door pockets are big enough.
06:07The infotainment system is simple and logical to use, or at least that's what I thought until
06:12recently, and I'll explain in a moment. But now it's time to hit the road.
06:30As of 2024, all new cars sold in the EU must be equipped with a suite of driver assistance systems,
06:37including a driver attention monitoring system and the not-so-intelligent speed assist system
06:43ESA. Depending on the brand, the driver attention monitoring system is more or less annoying. In Kia,
06:50it's more annoying, but not to the point where I'd want to disable it every time. That would require
06:55going into the driver assistance settings and making a few clicks on the screen each time I start the car.
07:06It's much easier to turn off ESA, just hold down the mute button on the steering wheel for a couple
07:11of seconds.
07:11The problem is that for the past two years, I've been annoyed by another system in every new Kia and
07:18Hyundai. And it's the speed limit change notification. Usually you can disable it permanently, but I haven't
07:26been able to found the appropriate settings in the assistance systems menu. Therefore, for two years now,
07:32I've been saying that Hyundai and Kia make great cars, but they really need to do something about those annoying
07:38beepers.
07:39Following my recent Kia EV2 review, a viewer wrote in to enlighten me that bloody beeper can be turned
07:47off permanently, but not in the assistance settings menu, but in the subsection of the sound settings menu.
07:55Thank you. It works.
08:00You can order the Kia K4 with a one liter engine with a manual gearbox, 115 horsepower.
08:06There's also a mild hybrid variant with a seven speed DCT in some markets.
08:11And then there's the 1.6 liter petrol engine with 160 or 180 horsepower, both with seven speed DCT.
08:20This is the most powerful variant. Kia claims it'll do zero to 100 kilometers per hour in eight seconds flat.
08:26I checked and I got 7.9 seconds in sport mode and 8.4 seconds in normal mode.
08:33Claimed combined fuel economy is about seven liters per 100 kilometers, but in real life,
08:38I'd expect more like eight or nine depending on your driving style. The fuel tank capacity is 47 liters.
08:44The car can tow up to 1410 kilograms with the 1.6 liter engine and up to 1010 kilograms with
08:53the one liter engine.
08:57On the plus side, the car handles beautifully. Whenever I encounter a series of tight bends, I really enjoy taking
09:05them quickly.
09:06The car also pulls well in the mid-range. This isn't the boring station wagon like we were once used
09:13to.
09:14Visibility is decent, the steering is responsive, the brakes are effective, and anyway, they don't have much to do,
09:20because even with the most powerful engine, the K4 weighs under a ton and a half. The seats are comfortable.
09:28On the minus side, the sound insulation is so-so, especially at higher speeds. Vibrations are noticeable
09:34at high revs, and at low revs, the gearbox takes too long to downshift. Kia is probably keeping an eye
09:42on emissions. The same was true for the Volkswagen Group products until recently, but in the new T-Rock
09:48and Q3, VW clearly opened the tap. Kia still needs some work in this department.
10:00I like the large head-up display, which also shows directions from Google Navigation via Android Auto.
10:06I also appreciate the camera system Kia has been using for several years now, which displays image from the
10:12wing mirror cameras on the instrument cluster when the turn signal is on. It's just a shame this image
10:17can't be displayed for longer and disappears immediately after the turn signal is turned off.
10:22It would be useful for parallel parking next to a curb. When I turn the steering wheel the other way
10:28to
10:28align, the turn signal deactivates and the image disappears, unlike the curb, and it would be a shame
10:34to scratch those 18-inch rims.
10:48Prices of the Kia K4 sportswagon start at 28,890 Euro. This test car is a GT line with the
10:56180 horsepower
10:57engine, with options it costs 43,730 Euro, much less than a similarly specced Skoda Octavia.
11:10Kia K4 sportswagon is a decent car, it looks all right and it's fun to drive for what it is.
11:16Yes,
11:17I think I'd take the K4 over Octavia, unless I'd want a wagon with all-wheel drive, in which case
11:21that leaves me
11:22with the Octavia, and... is there anything left in this segment? Drop me a comment!
11:32If you like my sarcastic, down-to-earth, and possibly mildly amusing car reviews, join me every friday
11:39at 3 pm central european time, and don't forget to subscribe and like this video, as it helps me
11:45with the youtube algorithm. Thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next one!
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